Who is Flat Stanley?

26 Agosto, 2008

South African Rockers Tour With Shure
NILES, IL, August 26, 2008 — The members of Flat Stanley initially earned accolades for their studio albums, which have earned them no fewer than six Top 10 radio hits in their native South Africa, including three that went to number one. Live performances on radio and television in front of more than eight million people followed, and today the band's latest single “As I Am” has not only charted at number one but has also just been licensed by South Africa's biggest cable television station, MNET, for use in one of its promo spots.While critics may lock horns trying to define the forces behind Flat Stanley's popularity, it's generally agreed that the band's combination of show-stopping performances and beautifully crafted songs are responsible for a meteoric rise that has led them to tour this year with bands like Counting Crows. Despite its newfound star-status, however, some things about the band remain the same, including its collective choice to remain solidly in Shure's corner when it comes to microphones and wireless systems.“Since day one, Shure vocal mics have been an absolute must on our tech rider,” says Flat Stanley frontman Andrew Mac. “More recently, we've started to move into using Shure wireless technology to improve our performances as well. On a large stage at a big show, the last thing you want to have to worry about is cables! We have in-ear personal monitors, beltpacks for the guitarists, and I'm using a KSM9 wireless mic. The mobility and freedom the systems give us onstage arefantastic, and for the first time since our intimate unplugged shows in the early days, we're able to monitor our vocals clearly enough to really work on our harmonies.” Mac, who admits that a trip to the U.S. sometime in 2009 is in the cards for the band, is also an open resource when it comes to revealing the origins of the band's name. “It's the name of the title character in a series of children's books written by Jeff Browne,” he explains. “The stories revolve around Stanley Lambchop, who through an unfortunate accident has been flattened, and is now only two inches thick.” “A few years back, a handful of teachers in Canada formed the 'Flat Stanley Project‘ for the children in their schools,” Mac further explained. “Basically what this entailed was getting the children to color-in a picture of Flat Stanley, and then send it to a friend or relative somewhere else in the country or world. Stanley would stay with this person and keep a journal of his activities, which would then be returned with Stanley to his original sender, and then he or she would tell the rest of the class about his adventures.” “Our original guitarist shared a house with another American student who was studying in Cape Town at the time we were first forming. A young relative of his back home sent him a Flat Stanley, and he took it wherever he went. One night we played our then only song in a songwriting contest and stuck him on the mic stand for good luck. People began referring to us as ‘the band with Flat Stanley,' and in time that simply got abbreviated to ‘Flat Stanley'.” Flat Stanley guitarists Clinton Gahwiler and Neil Potgieter are responsible for much of the band's original songwriting, with Mac collaborating on several tunes, too. “We are very fortunate to have two such talented individuals in the band,” Mac adds. “We're happy with where we are musically right now, but as songwriters and musicians we are growing and maturing all the time.”